May God bless you and your...
Rest in peace.
Rev.Carmine Diodati
February 26, 2021
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Melvin Henry Kuhbander
Louisville, KY, Kentucky
1935 - 2012
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Louisville, KY, Kentucky
Obituaries
Send FlowersKUHBANDER, MELVIN HENRY, 76, passed away February 4, 2012.
Known to family and friends as Mel, and to students as Dr. K, he was born in Dayton, OH on November 21, 1935 to Albert and Helen Kuhbander. Having been taught by Marianists in high school, Mel left home at age 15 to join the Marianist brotherhood and begin a life in education. He studied science and mathematics for his Bachelor's degree at the University of Dayton, then earned a Master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in mathematics, and went on to teach in the New York school system. In the late 1960s Mel received a dispensation from the brotherhood. He met his wife Sandy Foley in Puerto Rico, where she worked as a nurse and he as a professor of mathematics at the Catholic University. They began a family and Mel continued his education, receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Education Administration. During the 1970s he taught, then became a principal, and finally a superintendent in the Pennsylvania public school system. He then moved his family to Singapore where he became superintendent of the Singapore American School. Mel's legacy there is marked by the Melvin H. Kuhbander Fine Arts Center. Mel and his family returned to the states a decade later and he served as President of the Ursuline Campus Schools in Louisville, KY and the Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, IL. In the last years of his career, he returned to the classroom-a lover of education and a natural performer, his heart was always there-and from 2001 onward he was a math professor at Sullivan University.
Mel loved reading books to school children, though he could never finish "The Velveteen Rabbit" without crying. He was skilled at woodworking and filled his children's homes with furniture. He loved music, from Willie Nelson to Paganini. And he was always quick with clever puns, a skill he seems to have passed on to his children.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Lawrence.
Mel is survived by his loving family, his wife Sandy; his daughters, Lauren and Anne; and his son, David; and his grandchildren, Cameron and Luke (Lauren and husband, Clayton Thomas), Owen and Max (Anne and husband, Jeffrey Menne), and Sydney and Claire (David and wife, Kimberly Oates).
His life will be honored with a visitation this Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Rd., Louisville, KY 40205, where a vigil of remembrances will begin at 6:30 p.m. A funeral service will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption at 433 S. 5th St., Louisville, KY, 40202.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Blessings in a Backpack, a charity providing meals for impoverished school children (800-872-4366), or to the Cathedral of Assumption Scholarship Fund (see address above).
Guest Book
Mel taught me so much and he was a real friend. I loved to run the Hash House Harriers with him. He always loved a good story and had a great and easy laugh.
Bret Anderson
February 02, 2021 | Olympia, WA | Coworker
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I just learned of Mel's passing and wanted to offer my condolences to his family. I just met Mel last year at a ICTCM conference but he quickly became a mentor for me as I was teaching my first online course. I was looking forward to seeing him again this year and am saddened that he won't be there. He inspired me by his eagerness to learn new technologies and new teaching strategies, at a time in his life when most teachers are getting lazy. Rest in peace, Mel.
Diane Bauman
March 21, 2012 | Young Harris, GA
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Dear Sandy,
Thank you for sharing Mel with us. We have thought of you two often as we traveled through the world and our careers. He was my mentor and friend and, also told some pretty funny stories. Tobey and I always appreciated his sense of humor and the great pool parties in Singapore. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to help.
Bret and Tobey Anderson
March 03, 2012 | Olympia, WA
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Dear Sandy and Family,
We just heard of Mel's passing and we want to pass along our sympathy to all of you. We have many wonderful memories of Mel in our years with him at SAS.
Tony and Kathy Calabrese
February 26, 2012
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Sandy and family.Our condolences on hearing of the passing of Mel.We remeber great times with him in Singapore during our times with STARS,our acting together in "Shadowbox"and his appearing as a surpise pink rabbit at Shirley's 50 birthday party on the Singapore River.He was a man of great charm,dignity and compassion.
Our thoughta are with you all.
John and Shirley Smith
Cairns,Australia.
John and Shirley Smith
February 21, 2012 | Cairns
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Dear Sandy, Lauren, Anne, David, and the countless others who loved Mel, My sincere prayers go out to you all. Though I never met any of you, Mel was a very dear friend of mine (he shared his birthday with my son, Michael). There are not enough words for me to express my sincere condolences to each of you nor to express the void that Mel's passing leaves in so many of our lives. I am so sorry that I did not leave word for you sooner...I just learned of this terrible loss today.
Julia Sanders
February 19, 2012 | Louisville, KY
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When I was an SAS teacher, Dr. K. encouraged parents to tell teachers about their GOOD work. The parent would write to Dr. K. and he would send the note- plus his words of appreciation- to the teacher. I left Singapore in 1987--I still have those notes. Dr. Kuhbander taught me this valuable lesson- “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”. AESOP
After reading the caring notes that have been written about Dr. Kuhbander- his GOOD work will never be forgotten. May...
Shari Sadler
February 15, 2012 | Sarasota, FL
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Dear Sandy, Lauren, Anne, David and all the rest of the family,
I was shocked to learn of Mel's passing.
Mel's spirit is such a strong and vibrant force, that he will not be forgotten. He embraced life here in Singapore, and I remember meeting him on a jungle walk at Bukit Timah. Scuba trips, running the Hash, getting involved with a huge range of people whilst leading SAS, Mel gave credence to 'leading a balanced life'. HIs great mind was always at work, and I loved how he would...
Kate Grace Thome
February 14, 2012 | Singapore
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